Don't Leave the Path
by LightOverDarkness
Summary: While studying science together, Elizabeth's friend Orion wanted to check out the forest Murkwood near her home. Once they lost themselves in the middle of it, they realized too late their mistake. Following blatant treason toward Thranduil, Elizabeth, Orion, and a young elf named Cuedhel are banished from Mirkwood, and they are forced to depend on one another to survive


Orion looked up from her book. She sighed. "Elizabeth?" Her friend looked up. "What?" Orion stretched. "I dunno. Can we go for a walk? It's getting dark, and I can't concentrate."

Elizabeth laughed softly, closing her laptop as she stood up. "You're always distracted, Orion. Wanna take a walk? It wont be dark for an hour or more." Orion sat up straight. "Heck, yeah, let's go. One sec." She dashed off and got her coat. "Where should we go?"

Elizabeth shrugged, heading for the coat rack. I don't know. There's a bike trail near my parent's house, but seriously, I don't want to do that. It gets dark quickly, and I don't want to be alone in the middle of the woods at night.'' Orion picked up her bag.

"There's a wood nearby that has conservation land. There are some trails there. Whaddaya say we try it?" Elizabeth shrugged. "Sure. What's it called?" Knowing how much her best friend liked "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit", Orion winked at her, and smiled.

"Murkwood".

About a half an hour later, the two friends were walking around the conservation forest, having found a lovely trail to wander.

Elizabeth touched a tree in passing. "This is nice, Orion. It does remind you of Mirkwood from 'The Hobbit', doesn't it?"

Her friend stopped. "Yeah, you're right. Don't leave the path, though."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "I caught the reference." She stepped off the worn trail in jest. "Look, Orion, I left the path…! What the heckkk? "

Orion stood there, surprised and a little freaked out as her friend suddenly crumpled to the ground, in obvious shock. "Help me, Orio…" Elizabeth said softly, as her friend dashed toward her.

Orion felt a strange sense of fear as she grabbed Elizabeth, who blinked and looked at her strangely, before suddenly disappearing altogether.

Orion hardly had time to scream, before everything spun and went black.

When Orion woke up, she was uncomfortably sprawled at the foot of a huge tree. Looking over, she could see that Elizabeth was likewise awkwardly thrown, but she had righted herself and was looking worriedly over at her friend. She looked relieved when Orion sat up and gasped.

The wood was dark now, night was approaching, and there was no sign of the path.

Elizabeth gulped.

"Where the heck are we?" she asked, and Orion shrugged.

"I have no clue. Oh gosh, what have we done?!"

Elizabeth looked carefully around her. "Look, there's a light over there! Let's go and check it out."

Orion adamantly shook her head.

"No. Don't do that. It might be a creepy stalker"

Elizabeth looked at her, annoyed.

"Well, then, if you're afraid, we can go this way." She began to walk away, bag over her shoulder, obviously rather upset.

Orion sighed, her friend was like this sometimes.

"Listen, mellon, I..."

Her words were cut off sharply as the woods were ablaze with lights and a sharp pressure suddenly was at her throat. Twenty or so elves surrounded them, with Orion at knifepoint, and Elizabeth turned around and stared at her in horror.

"Did you just speak to me in Elvish?"

A very tall, blonde elf who was holding a bow strung with an arrow pointing straight at her and who looked very familiar nodded imperceptibly.

"She did, girl. And she should not have. Our language is not fit to be spoken by strangers who trespass on our domains and who insult us. Drop your bag."

Elizabeth stood still for a moment, then, in a fit of sudden anger, swung the bag as hard as she could at the head of the nearest elf.

He was too swift for her, however, and in one swift motion ducked around, wrenched the bag from her, and forced her to the ground. She was breathing hard, obviously furious. "Don't ever do that again, she-orc", he hissed.

Orion struggled, but the tall elf that held her would not release her.

"We are not orcs! We're mortals, humans!" she choked out, and the pressure was suddenly released, although she was still held back.

A very young and beautiful, yet obviously perilous elf with long red hair relaxed her bowstring, but she unsheathed a long golden knife and tested it.

"We know that. You do not look like an orc, but you act like one. In addition, your clothes are not like our own. What're you doing on our land?"

Elizabeth was glaring daggers at the young elf that had taken her bag.

"I'm not telling you anything until you give me back my bag", she managed.

The aforementioned elf swung the bag at her head, which she saw coming and ducked, and he said something in Sindarin that must have been very rude, for the elf who held Orion looked almost amused, but quickly looked stern again, and said, "Peace, Cúedhel."

He turned his attention to Elizabeth.

"If you will not speak to us, girl, then we will take you to my father and see what he thinks." To the company of elves, he instructed, "Bind them and search for weapons. You know what to do", and the redheaded elf nodded.

"As you say, my lord".

The two girls were searched for weapons by the redhead, Tauriel, and another she-elf.

Orion did not understand why Elizabeth would not just settle down and be calm, but she knew her friend had always been feisty, and this was no time to be stubborn.

When they were finally done with the examinations, they were marched through the woods for a few minutes, across a winding bridge, and then through the gates of the Elvenking's palace.

It was so obvious now, that they were no longer in America, no longer in Murkwood. They were in Middle Earth now, in Arda, and they were about to be interrogated by the Elvenking himself, Thranduil.

Elizabeth's eyes widened, and Orion shot her a glance that said, Why the heck didn't you let Cúedhel keep the darned bag?

Elizabeth looked away, cursing herself for what she had done.


End file.
